Finn var ansat af forskellige organisationer, Det lutherske Verdens Forbund, Kirkernes Verdensråd, Røde Kors, FN’s Flygtningehøjkommissariat, UNHCR, og Udenrigsministeriet.
Finns arbejdspladser var Grønland, Nigeria-Biafra, Sydsudan, Bangladesh, Zaire, Uganda, Botswana, Mocambique, Tjetjenien og andre nok heller ikke sikre steder.
Som det kan ses, var Finn en udpræget katastrofemand. Når han blev sendt til de farlige steder, spurgte han altid, hvorfor han kun blev tilbudt de usikre poster. Men ledelsen vidste, at kun Finn kunne løse problemerne der. Værre var det, hvis han af en eller anden grund ikke blev tilbudt et katastrofested, så spurgte han vredt om, hvorfor han var blevet forbigået.
Frygt ejede Finn ikke. Det gjorde han måske nok, men han viste det ikke.
Ligemeget, hvor håbløst situationerne så ud, fik Finn fødevarer og andre nødvendigheder frem til de nødlidende.
Når Finn og jeg i Uganda blev standset ved vejspærringer bemandet med fulde soldater, og de råbte: “WHAT IS YOUR NAME,” svarede Finn gerne: “I am Father Xmass.” Vi fik lov at køre videre hver gang.
På regulære udviklingsprogrammer kedede Finn sig.
Finns store chef, Brian Neldner skrev følgende til hans enke:
“My sincere thanks and appreciation for Finn’s service in LWS. We valued his contribution. He was a man of prompt and effective action and was always willing to go to some place he might not even have heard of, to be our man on the spot, on short notice. On at least one occasion he was on a plane the next day after a call from Geneva, either from Johan or myself. He helped many people in great need and built up a good team spirit in the field, be it in Botswana, Uganda or Mozambique. The responses I have read to his death bear testimony to that.
I also recall the effective was he handled a very difficult situation in Karamoja when young tribesmen fired at his vehicle. He was able to continue and immediate placed the situation before the community leaders that the programme could not continue with the supply and distribution of food under those circumstances and he would suspend food delivery and distribution until the matters was sorted out. It would be their responsibility to do so. He awaited their response. Some days later they informed him that they now had the young men under control. Finn resumed the food supply, a fine example of solving a problem by working with the community and their leadership.”
Johan Balslev er blandt andet tidligere katastrofechef i det Lutherske Verdensforbund i Geneve.
